Carry-iron.



C. T. WESTLAKE.

GARRY IRON.

APPLICATION FILED APR.Z9.1912,

Patemed June 24, 1913.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES r. .WESTLAKE, or ST. LOUIS, m ssonm, ASSIGNOR TO FLORY CARRY IRON COMPANY, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI, A CORPORATION oF DELAWARE.

CARRY-IRON.

portion of a car end sill or cast metal underframe with my improved draw bar carry iron shown in position thereon, and with the draw bar in section. Fig. 2 is a view look ing against the underside of the car end sill, and showing my improved carry iron partially detached therefrom. Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the carry iron. Fig. 4 is a :detail perspective looking against the underside of a portion of an end sill or cast metal und'erframe adapted to receive my improved carry iron. Fig. 5 is a detail section taken approximately-onthe line 5-5 of Fig. 1,-

and showing the carry iron partially. detached from the end sill or underframe.

My invention relates to new and useful improvements in carry irons for the draw bars of car couplers, the principal objects of my invention beingto provide a simple, inexpensive one piece carry iron having a lug on one of its bearing faces so that when said carry iron is reversed its top face that is engaged by the draw bar is raised or lowered, as the case may be, to maintain the draw bar at'difi'erent elevations, and further to construct the ends of the carry iron and parts of the end sill or underframe which supports said ends, so as to permit the carry iron to be easily and quickly removed by shifting it less than one-half its own width. The construction for accomplishing the ready detachmentof the carry iron is particularly desirable for the reason that very frequently the space between the end sill 4 and the rear side of the coupler head is not wide enough to permit shifting movementof the carry iron a distance equal to its width.

To the above purposes my invention consists in certain novel features of construction and arrangementof parts hereinafter more fully described and claimed.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented 'June' 24, 1913, Application filed April 29, 1912.

Serial No. 693,947.

Referring by numerals to the accompanymg drawings, 1 designates the end sill of a caror cast metal underframe, and formed therein is the usuatopening 2 adapted to receive the draw bar 3, which latter carries the usual draw bar coupler head on its forward end.

F orm'ed on or fixed to the underside of the end sill 1 at short distances from the sides of the opening 2 are depending L-shaped lugs or hooks 4 that are arranged in pairs, and formed through the bottom plate of the end sill, immediately in front of these pairs of lugs, are bolt holes 5.

My improved carry iron, as shown, com prises an elongated plate or bar 6, the ends of which are notched or bifurcated, as designat'cdby 7, to form the'pairs of lugs 8. Each of these lugs is narrower in width than the space between the L-shaped lugs i and the notches 7 between said lugs 8 are slightly wider than the lugs 4. i

Formed through the end portions of the plate 6 are apertures 9 that coincide with the apertures 5 when the carry iron is properly positioned beneath the end sill, and

passing through these coinciding apertures are bolts 10, or like fastening devices whereby .the carry iron is detachably: held in proper position on the end sill.

Formed integral with the central portion of the plate 6 on one side between the aper: tures 9 is a lug or projection 11.

When the carry iron is applied to the end sill, the lugs 8 on the ends of said carry iron rest directly upon the L-sliaped lugs 4, and said carry iron is held in position and fixed to the end sill by means of the bolts 10.

When the carry iron is arranged with the lug .or projection 11 on the underside the draw bar is maintained at a slightly lower elevation than when said carry iron is reversed so as to bring the lug or projection 11 on top, as shown by dotted lines in Fig. 1. Thus by providing'the lug or projection 11 and making the carry iron reversible, the draw bar can be supported at difi'erent elevations, as is required under different conditions.

\Vhen it becomes necessary to remove or repair the draw bar and its connections, the carry iron is readily detached by removing the bolts 10 and shifting said carry iron either forward or backward a sufficient dis tance to bring the corresponding lugs 8 into position immediately above the spaces be tween the lugs 4, and as these spaces are slightly wider than said lugs, the carry iron can be lowered and detached from the end sill.

The construction whereby the carry iron can be detached with a shifting movement of less than one-half its width is especially desirable where the working space between the end sill is limited.

The bolts 10 utilized for connecting the carry iron to the end sill are inserted from the top through the bottom web of the end sill with the nuts on the underside of the ends of the carry iron, and by such arrangement the carry iron will be retained in position even though the nuts should accidentally become loosened and detached from their bolts.

A carry iron of my improved construction is formed in one piece and can therefore be very cheaply produced, has great strength, rigidity and durability, is readily reversed so as to maintain the draw bar at different elevations, and can be detached from the end sill by a shifting movement of less than one-half its width.

It will be readily understood that minor changes in the size, form and construction of my improved carry iron can bema-de and substituted for those herein shown and described without departing from the spirit of my invention.

I claim:

1. The combination with supporting lugs arranged in pairs and spaced apart, of a carry iron, the ends of which are adapted to rest upon the. pairs of lugs, the ends of which carry iron are notched to permit the removal of said carry iron from the supporting lugs by a backward or forward movement of said carry iron a distance of approximately half its Width.

2. The combination with notched supports, of a carry iron having spaced lugs on its ends, which lugs normally rest upon the notched supports, and which lugs are adapted to pass between the supports when said carry iron is shittedbackward or forward a distance of approximately half its width.

3. The combination with suitable supports, comprising oppositely arranged pairs of spaced lugs. of a carry iron having bifur' cated ends which permits the removal of the carry iron from said supports by a backward or forward movement of said carry iron for a distance of approximately half its width.

4. The combination with an end sill, of

pairs of spaced lugs arranged thereon on opposite sides of the draw-bar opening, and a carry iron having spaced lugs on its ends, which latter lugs are adapted to rest upon the pairs of spaced lugs on the end sill.

' 5. The combination with supporting lugs arranged in pairs, of a carry iron provided with notches in its ends and the end portions of which carry iron to the sides of the notches are adapted to rest. upon the pairs of supporting lugs.

6. The combination with an end sill provided on its underside with depending L- shaped lugs arranged in pairs on opposite sides of the draw bar opening, and a carry iron provided with notched ends, which carry iron is removably applied to the un dersi-tie of the end sill with its notched ends gement with the L-shaped lugs.

77. he combination with supporting lugs arranged in pairs and spaced apart, of a reversible carry iron, the ends of which are adapted to engage upon the pairs of lugs. the ends of which carry iron are notched to facilitate the removal of said carry iron from the supporting lugs, and a projection on the central portion of one side of said carry iron.

In testimony whereof I hereunto atfix my signature in the presence of two witnesses,

this "22nd day of April. 1912.

CHARLES T. \VESTLAKF. \Vitnesses:

Flinn H. BLANKEN'HORN, HAL C. BELLVILLE. 

